BSS in Economics Courses

This course is intended to serve as an introduction to the field of microeconomics. Microeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. In particular we focus on microeconomic principles that demonstrate the role and limitations of both competitive and imperfectly competitive markets in motivating socially efficient consumer, business, and public sector choices.

References

• Roger A. Arnold, Microeconomics, 8th Edition, South-Western, 2008.
Michael Parkin, Microeconomics, 5th Edition, Addison-Wesley,
• Irvin B. Tucker, Microeconomics for Today, 6th Edition, South-Western, 2009.
• William J. Baumol and Alan S. Blinder, Microeconomics: Principles and Policy, 11th Edition, South-Western, 2009.
• N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, 5th Edition, South-Western, 2009.
• William Boyes and Michael Melvin, Microeconomics, 7th Edition, South-Western, 2008.

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of macroeconomics. This course provides an introduction to current economic issues and to basic economic principles and methods in macroeconomics. Macroeconomics is the study of the aggregate economy with booms and recessions, the economy’s total production of goods and services, economic growth and unemployment, money supply and interest rates, fiscal and monetary policies and foreign exchange markets. This course will stress applications of elementary economic theory to real world issues and problems. This introductory course in macroeconomics will enable students to analyze problems in the key areas using appropriate tools.

References

• Roger A. Arnold, Macroeconomics, 8th Edition, South-Western, 2008.
• Robert J. Barro, Macroeconomics: A Modern Approach, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2008.
• Robin Bade & Michael Parkin, Foundations of Macroeconomics, 2nd Edition, Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2008.
• Irvin B. Tucker, Macroeconomics for Today, 5th Edition, South-Western, 2008.
• William J. Baumol and Alan S. Blinder , Macroeconomics: Principles and Policy, 11th Edition , South-Western, 2008.
• N. Gregory Mankiw , Principles of Macroeconomics, 5th Edition , South-Western, 2009.
• William Boyes and Michael Melvin, Macroeconomics, 7th Edition, South-Western, 2008.

This course aims to familiarize the students with the conceptual understanding of microeconomic theories and application in business and economy. Since a market economy is dependent on the price system to guide in decision related to production, distribution and consumption behavior and decisions ma. These behaviors affect relative prices economic that act as signals in a market economy to guide production and consumption decisions.

References

• Walter Nicholson and Christopher Snyder, Intermediate Microeconomics, 10th Edition , South-Western, 2007.
Hal Varian, Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach, 7th Edition, Norton 2006. Andrew Schotter, Microeconomics: A Modern Approach, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2009. Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and Richard Ault, Intermediate Microeconomics: Price Theory & Applications, 1st Edition , South-Western, 1995. E.K. Browning and M.A. Zupan, Microeconomics: Theory and Applications, 8th edition, Wiley, 2007.

This course is essentially an analysis of causes of and responses to market failure in the presence of public goods; externalities; natural monopoly; asymmetric information; and the collapse of voluntary transaction with taxes. It also emphasizes on political elements and other institutional arrangements in public finance. The courses also analyze public choice in the presence of voting and the voting paradox. Because collective consumption nature of public goods implies that decisions on public goods have to be made collectively. The course further inspects fiscal federalism and local public goods, economics of the bureaucracy and rent seeking, government budgeting, and project analysis.

References

• David N. Hyman, Public Finance: A Contemporary Application of Theory to
• Policy with Economic Applications, 8th Edition, South-Western, 2005.
• Anne C. Steinemann, H. James Brown and William C. Apgar, Microeconomics for
• Public Decisions with Economic Applications Card, 2nd Edition, South-Western, 2005.
• C. V. Brown, Public Sector Economics, Blackwell Publishing, 1990.
• John Cullis and Philip Jones, Public Finance and Public Choice, Oxford University Press, 1998.

This course is designed with an overall focus on money, finance and banking in any economy of developed and developing country. Basic concentration is given on the microeconomics of money and banking, the role of the monetary and banking systems in a market economy, and the macroeconomic impacts of the behavior of banks. Topics includes the evolution of money, classification of money, role of money, money creation, theories of money, evolution of banking, structure and functions of banking systems, and financial services of formal, semi-formal and informal financial institutions and their impacts in the economy.

References

• Barbara Casu, Claudia Girardone, Philip Molyneux, Introduction to Banking, Pearson, 2006.
• Dean Croushore, Money and Banking: A Policy-Oriented Approach, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2007.
• Maureen Burton and Raymond Lombra , The Financial System and the Economy: Principles of Money and Banking, 4th Edition, South-Western , 2006.
• Lloyd Thomas , Money, Banking and Financial Markets, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2006.

This course provides an introduction to basic economic principles in agriculture. This course introduces students to basic microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts as applied to agricultural economy. The students are also introduced to the field of agricultural economics- agriculture as an economic activity, economic problems facing agriculture, agriculture and the rural economy, and the scope of agricultural economics.

References

• Colman, D. and T. Young, Principles of Agricultural Economics: Markets and prices in less developed countries. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne. 1993.
• Ghatak, S. and K. Ingersent. Agriculture and Economic Development. Wheatsheaf Books, Ltd., 1984.
• Ellis, Frank. Peasant Economics: Farm households and agrarian development. Second edition. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 1993.
• Norton, G.W. and Alwang, J. Introduction to the Economics of Agricultural Development. McGraw-Hill, 1993.

This course examines macroeconomics concepts and problems. Students will develop the analytical capability to determine how aggregate demand and aggregate supply are influenced by the public and private sectors as measured by changes in employment, inflation, national output, and international trade. An analysis will also be made of the impact of selected macroeconomic policies that employ classical and Keynesian recommendations for increasing real national output while maintaining price stability.

References

• N. Gregory, Mankiw, Macroeconomics, 5th ed., Worth Publishers, 2003.
• Robert J. Barro, Macroeconomics: A Modern Approach, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2008.
• Roger LeRoy Miller and David D. VanHoose, Macroeconomic: Theories, Policies, and International Applications, 3rd Edition, South-Western, 2004.

This course provides a comprehensive exposition of basic mathematical instrument that are commonly used in all fields of economics. Microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, international trade and finance, public finance, money and banking , resource and environmental economics, urban, and regional economics, labor and human resources and industrial organization. Method of static analysis, comparative static analysis, and optimization are introduced. Major emphasis is on illustrating how these tools can be used to analyze theoretical and practical economic problems, which arise in the behaviors of households, firms and markets.

References

• Carl Simon and Lawrence Blume, Mathematics for Economists, 1st edition, Norton, 1994.
• Edward T. Dowling, Schaum's Outline of Introduction to Mathematical Economics Introduction to Mathematical Economics, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
• Alpha C. Chaing and Kevin Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2005.
• Knut Sydsaeter, Peter Hammond, Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis, 3rd Edition, Pearson, 2008.
• Kamran Dadkhah , Foundations of Mathematical And Computational Economics, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2007.
• Jeffrey Baldani, James Bradfield and Robert W.Turner, Mathematical Economics, 2nd Edition, South-Western, 2005.

This course is designed to highlight the overall economic performance of the country and contemporary economic issues/problems in Bangladesh. The students are expected to put into practice the theoretical knowledge of economics in analyzing the economic issues/problems in Bangladesh and to suggest remedial measures in the socio-economic context of Bangladesh. The course contents would include market imperfections, credit markets in Bangladesh, inflation, global and regional trade, unemployment, poverty, hunger, population, landlessness, corruption, failures of the formal banking system and the rise of the NGOs in Bangladesh. This course discusses these issues and highlights the performance of the country in different fields and recent trend in Bangladesh economy. The course will also discuss the issues of economic development of Bangladesh since its independence. After completion of the course, the students are expected to write research papers taking into consideration the relevance of economic theories in solving the real economic issues in Bangladesh.

References

• Abu N. M. Wahid and Charles E. Weis, The Economy of Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 1996.
• Raisuddin Ahmed, Steven Haggblade, and Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury (ed.), Out of the Shadow of Famine: Evolving Food Markets and Food Policy in Bangladesh, Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Munir Quddus and Salim Rashid, Entrepreneurs and Economic Development: The Remarkable Story of Garment Exports from Bangladesh, University Press Limited, Dhaka, 2000.
• Wahiduddin Mahmud (ed.), Adjustment and Beyond: the Reform experience in South Asia, Macmillan (London), 1998.
• Rehman Sobhan, M.M.Akash and Tanweer Akram (ed.), Reform of State-owned Enterprises and Privatization , CPD Monograph 2, Pathak Samabesh, Dhaka, 1998.
• Salim Rashid (ed.), Bangladesh Economy: Evaluation and a Research Agenda, University Press Ltd., Dhaka, 1995.

This course offers a brief overview of selected topics in development economics at the introductory level. Following a general introduction to the subject and to the data the course focuses on long-term processes of productivity growth and structural transformation. This is followed by a critical presentation of the still rapidly growing, literature on cross country growth comparisons. The course discusses the issue of the economic development of Bangladesh, India and South Asia since their independence from colonial rule in the late 1940s. Particular attention is given to economic liberalization and systematic reforms since the 1990s and the future economic prospects in the global economy.

References

• Michael P. Todaro and Stephen Smith. Economic Development, 10th edition, Pearson, 2008.
• Debraj Ray, Development Economics, Princeton University Press, 1998.
• A. Thirlwall, Growth and Development. 8th edition. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
• E. Siggle, Development Economics: A Policy Analysis Approach. Ashgate Publishing Co. 2005.

This course is designed to familiarize students with basic statistical techniques and their application to the field of Economics. Topics include summarizing and plotting data, basic probability theory, hypothesis testing, bivariate and multiple regression analysis, time series analysis and analysis of variance. Emphasis is given in preparing spreadsheet, fitting models, interpreting results and verifying the model assumptions. Students are required to undertake an assigned project analysis using basic statistical package as a part of the course assessment.

References

• Michael Barrow, Statistics for Economics, Accounting & Business Studies plus MathXL pack, 5th Edition, Pearson, 2006.
• David R. Anderson, Dennis J. Sweeney, Thomas A. Williams, Jim Freeman, Eddie Shoesmith (2006) Statistics for Business and Economics
• Mike Barrow (1996) Statistics for Economics, Accounting and Business Studies
• William L. Carlson, Betty Thorne (1996) Applied Statistical Methods
• Gary E. Clayton, Martin Gerhard Giesbrecht (2003) A Guide to Everyday Economic Statistics
• Jon Curwin, Roger Slater (2001) Quantitative Methods for Business Decisions
• Fergus Daly, David Hand, Chris Jones, Daniel Lunn, Kevin McConway (1994) Elements of Statistics

This is a course on comparative analysis of variant types of capitalist and non-capitalist social formation and transmission of social formation from one set of prevalent to a new and radically different set. This course also discusses the theoretical problems in applying current economic theories (neoclassical, Marxian, and Institutionalist) to the comparative analysis of social formations. Further, this course makes a critical discussion of the most basic economic concepts and logics as an attempt to separate science from polemics and to develop a new conceptual tool which appreciates the analysis and differentiation of economic system.

References

• Martin Schnitzer, Comparative Economic Systems, 8th Edition, South-Western, 2000.
• H. Stephen Gardner, Comparative Economic Systems, 2nd Edition, South-Western, 1998.
• Paul R. Gregory, Robert C. Stuart (1999), Comparative Economic Systems
• Steven Rosefielde (2002), Principles of Comparative Economic Systems EPZ: Culture, Wealth and Power in the 21st Century
• J.Barkley Rosser, Marina V. Rosser (2004) Comparative Economics in a Transforming World Economy
• Martin Schnitzer (1999), Comparative Economic Systems
• Coen Teulings, Joop Hartog (1998) Corporatism or Competition? Labour Contracts, Institutions and Wage Structures in International Comparison
• Andrew Tylecote, Francesca Visintin (2007) Corporate Governance, Finance and the Technological Advantage of Nations (Routledge Studies in Global Competition)

This course is a comprehensive study of the market for human resources, probing the workings of labor markets with an emphasis on wage determination, human capital development, productivity, and corporate labor issues and practices. Economic modeling is used to further an understanding of such topics as unemployment, unions, poverty, inequalities, labor market discrimination, labor relations, collective bargaining, workforce training and education, and the role of human resources in global competition.

References

• Bruce Kaufman and Julie L. Hotchkiss , The Economics of Labor Markets, 7th Edition , South-Western, 2005.
• Thomas Hyclak, Geraint Johnes and Robert Thornton, Fundamentals of Labor Economics, 1st Edition , South-Western, 2005.
• George J Borjas (2009) Labor Economics
• D. Bosworth, Peter Dawkins, Thorsten Stromback (1996) Economics of the Labour Market
• Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Robert S. Smith (2008) Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy
• R. F. Elliott (1990) Labor Economics: a Comparative Text
• Duncan Gallie (Ed.) (2007) Employment Regimes and the Quality of Work
• Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis, Ravi Kanbur (Eds.) (2006) Informal Labour Markets and Development (Studies in Development Economics and Policy)
• Joyce Jacobsen, Gilbert Skillman (2002) Labor Markets and Employment Relationships: A comprehensive approach
• Nicholas M. Kiefer, George R. Neumann (2006) Search Models and Applied Labor Economics

This course gives a comprehensive idea about the international business situation. Introductory global trade concepts and theories, legal aspects of global trade, national and international regulations, global organizations and agreements etc. are covered in the course. Topics include comparative advantage, transfer of international payments, foreign exchange markets and hedging therein, balance of payments and adjustments, international liquidity, international portfolio and direct investments, international financial markets and institutions, foreign trade policy, effects of protectionism and regionalism, and other topics of current interest.

References

• Robert Carbaugh, International Economics, 12th Edition, South-Western, 2009.
• Dominick Salvatore, International Economics, 9th Edition, Wiley, 2007.
• Paul R. Krugman, Maurice Obstfeld (2005) International Economics: Theory and Policy
• Bo Sodersten, Geoffrey Reed (1999) International Economics
• Beth V. Yarbrough and Robert M. Yarbrough, The World Economy: Trade and Finance, 7th Edition, South-Western, 2006.
• Richard Vietor, Globalization and Growth: Case Studies in National Economic Strategies, 2nd Edition, South-Western, 2005.
• Joseph P. Daniels and David D. VanHoose, Global Economic Issues and Policies with Economic Applications, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2004.

The course deals with the exploitation of exhaustible, renewable, and environmental resources and the public policy issues that arise in seeking their efficient use. Strong connecting threads are the problem of ill-defined property rights in the market allocation of these resources and the importance of comparing costs and benefits across different periods of time in determining their optimal use. The problems of environmental degradation and natural area conservation, with a particular focus on the alternative policy tools and evaluation procedures that are available to governments to moderate pollution and other forms of environmental damage are examined in depth.

References

• Scott J. Callan and Janet M. Thomas, Environmental Economics and Management: Theory, Policy and Applications, 4th Edition, South-Western, 2007.
• Jonathan M. Harris, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach, 2nd Edition, South-Western, 2006.
• David Anderson, Environmental Economics and Resource Management with Economic Applications Card, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2004.
• Steven C Hackett , Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: Theory, Policy and Sustainable Society, 3rd Edition, Sharpe. M.E. New York, 2006.

This course is designed to focus on international and regional financial arrangement and institutions. It will start with the discussion of comparative economic advantage and genesis of international trade, and will cover balance of payments, adjustments and its impact on world trade, role of commercial and central banks in financing international capital flow, financing import and exports, instruments and markets of foreign exchange, and determination of exchange rates.

This course is designed to provide a critical overview of theoretical, empirical, and policy issues relating to international trade and development in Economics. This course reviews the basic models of economic growth to explore the roles of factor accumulation and technical progress in cross-country income differences, examines how growth affects poverty and inequality, and covers the effects of globalization and foreign aid on economic development. It also covers the dynamics of the stock exchange and capital market in the growth of trade and development in the economy.

References

• Daniele Archibugi, Jonathan Michie (Eds.) (1998) Trade, Growth and Technical Change
• Steven Brakman, Harry Garretsen, Charles Van Marrewijk, Arjen Van Witteloostuijn (2006) Nations and Firms in the Global Economy: An Introduction to International Economics and Business John Gionea(2002) International Trade and Investment
• David Greenaway (Ed.) (2006) The World Economy: Global Trade Policy
• Nigel Grimwade (2000) International Trade: New Patterns of Trade, Protection and Investment
• C. Paul Hallwood (2000) International Money and Finance
• Luis A. Rivera-Batiz, Maria-A. Oliva (2004) International Trade: Theory, Strategies, and Evidence
• Henry Thompson (2006) International Economics: Global Markets and Competition
• Beth V. Yarbrough, Robert M. Yarbrough (2005) The World Economy: Trade and Finance
• Beth V. Yarbrough, Robert M. Yarbrough (2005) The World Economy: International Trade

The course is designed to give an introduction to econometric models that can be applied to various business and economic problems. Topics mainly include various regression models such as uni-variate, bi-variate and multi-variate regression models, linear probability model, logit and probit model, simultaneous equation model and time series regression models. In this course, the application of statistical softwares, such as SPSS, STATA or E-Views introduced shown to deal with econometric models.

References

• Damodar Gujarati, Basic Econometrics with Software Disk Package, McGraw-Hill UK, 2002.
• Damodar Gujarati, Essentials of Econometrics, McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2005.
• Jeffrey Wooldridge , Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach, 4th Edition , South-Western, 2009.
• Damodar N Gujarati (2005) Student Solutions Manual to accompany Essentials of Econometrics
• G. S. Maddala, Kajal Lahiri (2009) Introduction to Econometrics
• Jeffrey Wooldridge (2008) Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach with Access Code

ECO 3219: Investment And Portfolio Management The purpose of this course is to help students understand how to manage investment funds to derive maximum benefits. The course starts with discussing basic investment theories, and introduces appraisal of bands, preferred and common stocks as vehicles of investment. This course also involves the study of alternative investments, the market settings, industry analysis, technical analysis, company analysis and stock selection and security legislation. This course details how to evaluate current investments and future opportunities so that one can construct a portfolio that will satisfy his risk-return objectives.

References

• Bodie, A., Kane, A. and Marcus, A.J., Essentials of Investments, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2008.
• Elton, Edwin J., Martin J, Gruber, Stephen J. Brown and William N. Goetzmann, Modern Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis, 7th ed., John Wiley and Sons, 2006.
• Strong, Robert A., Portfolio, Construction, Management, and Protection, 4th ed., Thomson/South-Western, 2006.
• Frank K. Reilly, Keith C. Brown Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, 9th Edition, South Western Pub, 2008.
• Tom Valentine, Modern Financial and Investment Planning, Pearson Education, 2006.
• William F. Sharpe, Gordon J. Alexander and Jeffrey V. Bailey, Investments, Prentice Hall

Advanced microeconomics is the study of individual decision-making by consumers, firms and governments and the institutions that support such decision-making. This course will focus on how to construct economic models using mathematical tools. The primary objective of these models is to provide structure to support economic reasoning. This course will combine the economic intuition obtained in the principles and intermediate microeconomics courses with the rigor of optimization techniques from mathematics. At the conclusion of this course students should have the tools to set-up, solve and interpret economic models in various institutional situations.

References

• Geoffrey A. Jehle and Philip J. Reny , Advanced Microeconomic Theory, Addisom-Wesley, 2008.
• Nicholson, Walter and Christopher Snyder (2008). Microeconomic Theory: Basic Theories and Extensions, 10th edition, Thomson South-Western.
• H. Varian, Microeconomic Analysis, 3rd edition, W.W. Norton and Co.
• Mas-Colell, A., Whinston, M., and Green, J. (1995): Microeconomic Theory, Oxford University Press.
• R.S. Pindyck and D.L. Rubinfeld, Microeconomics, 6th edition, Prentice Hall.
• E.K. Browning and M.A. Zupan, Microeconomics: Theory and Applications, 8th edition, Wiley.
• A.C. Chiang, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill.

This course is concerned with the specification and estimation of relations among economics variables and with inferences about these relations. It begins with a brief survey of basic statistical concepts and follows with an introduction to a simple and multivariate regression and other methods for modeling relations among economic variables. These include models of aggregate economic activity, the sales of an individual firm, or a political process. This course discusses three general classes of models: time-series models, single-equation regression models, and multi-equation models, that can be constructed for purposes of forecasting/projection and scenario building, policy analysis and interpretation.

References

• Dennis Halcoussis, Understanding Econometrics with Economic Applications, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2005.
• Kenneth Stewart , Introduction to Applied Econometrics, 1st Edition , South-Western, 2005.
• Ramu Ramanathan , Introductory Econometrics with Applications, 5th Edition, South-Western, 2002.
• Orley Ashenfelter, Phillip B. Levine, David J. Zimmerman (2006) Statistics and Econometrics: Methods and Applications
• Dimitrios Asteriou, Stephen Hall (2007) Applied Econometrics: A Modern Approach Using Eviews and Microfit

This course in an introduction to the history of economic theory. The major phases in the development of economics (in the technical sense) will be studied in this course. However, the aim will be to treat them against the background of their historical environment, including political and social thought and current economic problems. The course includes, but not be confined to, the work of smith, Ricardo, Marx, marshal and Keynes.

References

• Stanley Brue and Randy Grant, The Evolution of Economic Thought, 7th Edition, South-Western, 2007.
• Harry Landreth and David C. Colanderl, History of Economic Thought, 4th Edition, South-Western, 2002.
• Ernesto Screpanti, Stefano Zamagni (2005) An Outline of the History of Economic Thought
• Charles Earl Staley (1989) A History of Economic Thought: From Aristotle to Arrow
• Gianni Vaggi, Peter Groenewegen (2003) A Concise History of Economic Thought

This course is designed to acquaint the students with scientific research methods for problem solving and decision-making in various business situations. Each student will be exposed to, and given a set of conceptual tools & techniques that will allow them to understand the nature of scientific methods as they apply to business. Emphasis will be given on research design, problem formulation, developing data collecting instruments; conducting a research project and application of research to special fields will be stressed.

References

• Donald R. Cooper & Pamela S. Schindler, Business Research Methods, McGraw-Hill Irwin 9th edition, 2006.
• W.G. Zikmund, Business Research Methods (7th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing, 2003.
• Paul D. Leedy, Jeanne E. Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Practical Research: Planning and Design, Prentice Hall, 2004.
• Anthony M. Graziano, Michael L. Raulin, Research Methods: A Process of Inquiry, Prentice Hall, 2006.

The purpose of this course is to introduce some important current topics in macroeconomics to provide a basic understanding of the theoretical foundations of macroeconomics at the advanced level. Both theories and technical details will be equally emphasized to enhance students’ understanding of the literature. Topics covered in this course include growth theory, traditional Keynesian theories of fluctuations, inflation and monetary policies, the theory of rational expectation, the theory of consumption, Real Business Cycle theory, dynamic programming problems, price and wage rigidities. The issues in fiscal policy studied here include the implications of the inter-temporal government budget constraint for fiscal policy, the burden of the national debt as well as the effects of the national debt on the major macroeconomic variables and the effects of anticipated and unanticipated inflation on the national debt.

References

• David Romer, Advanced Macroeconomics, third edition, McGraw Hill, 2006.
• Stephen D. Williamson, Macroeconomics, 2nd edition, Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2007.
• Blanchard and S. Fischer Lectures on Macroeconomics, MIT Press, 1989
• HP B.J. Heijdra and F. van der Ploeg, The Foundations of Modern Macroeconomics, Oxford University Press, 2002

This course is designed to help students understand the basics of dynamism of international economic activities and trade and the effects of various international economic policies on domestic and world market. The course highlights the causes and effects of international trade, how tariffs and other trade policies affect the gains from trade, and the ways in which governments try to regulate those policies. International agreements on regional trade liberalization (such as EU and NAFTA), on multilateral trade liberalization (e.g., WTO), the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also discussed in this course.

References

• Amiya Kumar Bagchi , The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, Cambridge University Press, 1982.
• Dean Baker , Globalization and Progressive Economic Policy, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
• Ariel Buira, Challenging the IMF and World Bank: Developing Country Perspectives, Anthem Press, 2003.
• Peter J. Burnell, Vicky Randall (Eds.), Politics in the Developing World, Oxford University Press, 2007.
• Samira Dasgupta, Ray Kiely (Eds.), Globalization and After, SAGE Publications Ltd, 2006.
• Ian A. Goldin, Kenneth A. Reinert, Globalization for Development: Trade, Finance, Aid, Migration and Policy (Trade & Development), World Bank, 2007.
• Javed Maswood, International Political Economy and Globalization, World Scientific, 2000.
• Bernard Hoekman, Michel Kostecki , The Political Economy of the World Trading System, Oxford University Press, 2001.

This course deals with project identification, preparation, appraisal, management of implementation and cross project evaluation. Basic techniques like network analysis, organization and control aspects of project implementation in relation to resources, time skill and information processing are emphasized.

References

• Rory Burke, Project Management Planning and Control Techniques, 5th Edition, Burke Publishing, 2006.
• Harold Kerzner, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 9th Edition , John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
• Harold Kerzner, Project Management Case Studies, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
• Clifford Gray, Project Management: The Managerial Process, 3rd edition, MCGRAW-HILL
• Kathy Schwalbe, Introduction to Project Management, 2nd Edition, 2009.

This course is designed to provide students with various information regarding world climate, major classifications of regions, factors in various sectors of the economy and geographic pattern, locations of agency, mineral and water resources and industries based on those resources, availability of main agricultural product, transportation form and ways, and participation of different countries in the world trade.

References

• Steven Brakman, Harry Garretsen and Charles van Marrewijk, An Introduction to Geographical Economics, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
• Neil M. Coe, Philip F. Kelly and Henry W. C. Yeung, Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
• Pierre-Philippe Combes, Thierry Mayer, Jacques-Francois Thisse, Economic Geography: The Integration of Regions and Nations, Princeton University Press, 2008.
• Dr Danny Mackinnon and Dr Andrew Cumbers, An Introduction to Economic Geography: Globalization, Uneven Development and Place, Prentice Hall, 2007.

Game theory is a study of multi-person decision problems. This is an introduction to game theory models that can be applied into trading process, behavior of a firm in input and output markets and at international level to where countries choose tariff and other trade policies. Besides learning the basic theories of the economic games, some applications of the game in the business world are also covered.

The course will familiarize students with the elements of economics most helpful in legal analysis, and will explore the basic elements of several substantive areas of law, such as property, torts, contracts, and criminal law from an economic perspective. In addition this course concentrates on the economic analysis of law by asking whether economic reasoning can contribute to a better understanding of the legal system and the integration process. It looks at the efficiency and inefficiency of laws, regulations and court decisions in all legal fields. In this course, special attention will be given to accident law, product liability and insurance by asking the question how the law can contribute to reach a minimisation of the total sum of accident costs. Criteria for government regulation will be advanced and differences between tort liability and regulation will be discussed with respect to the example of environmental pollution. Other topics include the economics of contract law, the economics of crime, intellectual property rights and other topics such as the subsidiarity principle, insurance markets and competition law.

References

• Stephen Spurr, Economic Foundations of Law, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2006.
• Allan DeSerpa, Economics and the Common Law: Cases and Analysis, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2005.
• A.W. Dnes, Economics of Law: Property, Contracts and Obligations with Economic Applications, 1st Edition, South-Western, 2005.

Increasing pressure on health care budgets worldwide is focusing attention on how best to organize health care systems and the spending within them. This is a non-technical introduction to health economics concepts and how they can be applied at various levels of health policy. The course concentrates on economics of health care systems discussing the role of markets and market failure in health policy, incentives and reform of health care, equity in health care, the evaluation of interventions -cost effectiveness and cost benefit analysis as applied to health care and the economics of health. This course also offers general introduction to current research in the economics of health and medical care, geared to students with significant research interests related with these fields.

References

• James W. Henderson, Health Economics and Policy, 4th Edition, South-Western, 2009.
• Rexford E. Santerre and Stephen P. Neun, Health Economics, 4th Edition, South-Western, 2007.
• Stephen Morris, Nancy Devlin and David Parkin, Economic Analysis in Health Care, Wiley, 2006.

Industrial economics studies why firms exist, what accounts for their internal structure, how they interact with consumers, financiers and each other, and the basis for regulatory policy. In this course the students will learn to develop the ability to apply the tools of modern microeconomics issues in industrial organization. This will enable them to show the usefulness of these ideas in understanding real world firms and industries. Students of industrial organization depart from the competitive model by analyzing the behavior of firms and its impact on market structure, pricing and profits. This course looks at various theories about the organization of firms and industries, focusing particularly on the strategic interactions amongst firms.

References

• Bernadette Andreosso and David Jacobson, Industrial Economics and Organisation, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 2005.
• Philip Arestis, Michelle Baddeley and John McCombie (Eds.), Globalisation, Regionalism and Economic Activity, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2003.
• Roger Clarke, Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, 1985.
• Ken Heather, The Economics of Industries and Firms, Pearson Education, 2002.

A Course in Monetary Economics is an insightful introduction to advanced topics in monetary economics. The objective of this course is to improve understanding of the topics of money, banking and financial markets. Basic economic principles such as supply and demand, the concept of equilibrium and the theory of asset demand are applied to study the role of money in the economy and the institutional characteristics of the banking system and financial markets. It discusses real issues with a variety of modeling alternatives, allowing for a direct comparison of the implications of the different models. The exposition is clear and logical, providing a solid foundation in monetary theory and the techniques of economic modeling. The inventive analysis explores an extensive range of topics including the optimum quantity of money, optimal monetary and fiscal policy, and uncertain and sequential trade models.

References

• Frederic S. Mishkin, The Economics of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets, Eighth Edition, Addison Wesley, 2007.
• Benjamin Eden , A Course in Monetary Economics: Sequential Trade, Money, and Uncertainty, Wiley-Blackwell, 2004.
• Lewis M. and Mizen P. Monetary Economics. Oxford University Press, 2002.

In today’s world a global perspective is more than desirable; it is required. Rising numbers of small and medium-sized businesses are joining giant corporations in their desire for a higher share of international growth markets. The sum of many technological and geopolitical developments, globalization brings both opportunities and anxieties that need to be fully explored, discussed and understood both by the business and non-business student. This course is designed to stimulate thought, perspective, discussion and debate on issues including globalization; political economy, geopolitics; the environment; cultures; finance; economic integration; trade; global regions; emerging markets; human rights; terrorism and conflict; leadership, ethics and values; entrepreneurship, and future trends in global issues.

References

• Eichengreen, Barry (1996). Globalizing Capital. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Eichengreen, Barry (2002). Financial Crises. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Frieden, Jeffrey A. and Lake, David A. International Political Economy
• Ravenhill, John, ed. (2004). Global Political Economy. Oxford: Oxford University press.
• Stiglitz, Joseph (2002) Globalization and its Discontents, New York: W.W. Norton.

This course is designed to analyze of the economic forces leading to urban existence, the growth and decline of cities, and of the factors affecting land use within cities. The economic analysis of urban problems: housing, poverty, transport, and land use and public policy decision-making are covered. Students also in this course focus on regional economic growth. Topics include location theory, rent theory, comparison of economic structure between the major geographic areas, and public and private area development programs.

References

• Paul Cheshire, Alan W. Evans (Eds.), Urban and Regional Economics, Edward Elgar, 1991.
• Mary E. Edwards, Regional and Urban Economics and Economic Development, Auerbach Publishers Inc., 2007.
• Philip McCann, Urban and Regional Economics, Oxford University Press, 2001.

This elective course in economics is designed to have a clear understanding of the rise of microfinance and the debates underpinning microfinance with special focus on the role of microfinance in alleviating poverty. The course also covers the financial structure of a developing country, the failures of formal finance, and the successes of microfinance in poverty alleviation. It also includes the theories of informal credit markets, poverty and its dimension in Bangladesh, poverty and inequality, absolute and relative poverty, different approaches to estimating poverty line: the methodological debates with special reference to Bangladesh, the roles of different government policies in poverty alleviation, rural poverty and rural women, financial system approach and poverty lending approach to microfinance, experience of microfinance in Bangladesh and other regions of the world, the history and role of microfinance institutions at various levels. Various ways in which the poor manage their money, tools for doing market research in microfinance, the elements of successful microfinance: dynamics of growth, deep outreach to the poor and financial sustainability of the lending institutions constitute an integral part of the course

References

• Beatriz Armendáriz , The Economics of Microfinance
• Douglas R. Snow, Microcredit and Development Policy
• Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
• Farooque Chowdhury (ed)., MICRO CREDIT - Myth Manufactured Unveiling appropriation of surplus value and an Icon, Sharabon Prakashoni, 2008.
• Khandker Shahidur R, Fighting Poverty With Microcredit, Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Thomas Fisher and M.S. Sriram, Beyond Microcredit: Putting Development Back into Microfinance, Oxfam Publishing, 2002

This course, with its case study focus, examines the application of microeconomic theories to real business and industry environments. Issues of supply and demand, market structures, government intervention, and resource markets are among a few of the topics of discussions and analyses. In addition this course introduces students to basic concepts in welfare economics to allow an understanding of important economic factors affecting the level of social welfare. The conditions for Pareto optimality, alternative welfare criteria, measures of consumer surplus, optimal income distribution, external effects, public goods, the theory of second best and the basic theory of social choice will be discussed.

References

• Robin W. Boadway, Neil Bruce, Welfare Economics, Blackwell Publishing, 1984.
• Per-Olov Johansson , An Introduction to Modern Welfare Economics, Cambridge University Press, 1991.

This course aims to give an opportunity to the student to apply the knowledge gathered in the theoretical macroeconomics. This course makes the student aware of the macroeconomic issues and problems persistently occurring in the developing countries. After completing this course , the students are able to identify the causes and roots of the macroeconomic problems in their everyday business and economic life.

References

• Daron Acemoglu, Introduction to Modern Economic Growth, Princeton University Press, 2009.
• Daron Acemoglu, Recent Developments in Growth Theory, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004.
• Pierre-Richard Agenor, The Economics of Adjustment and Growth, Harvard University Press, 2004.

This course is designed to provide the student with a basic concept and consequences of the subject on human beings. Since most of the people of the world are under the grip of poverty and inequality, understanding the subject means understanding the problem of most of the people of the world. Poverty, inequality and gender discrimination are inextricably mingled. It is reflected in society in the form of hunger, malnutrition, destitution, ill health, illiteracy, and lack of dignity, lack of social services, lack of empowerment, lack of opportunity and other depriving elements. Knowing the subject with all these consequences may help student to think critically about the existing theories and to formulate policies and programs with implementation strategies aimed at eradicating the adverse effects of poverty, inequality and gender discrimination to an individual person and the society in general. The course also establishes linkage between gender and health outcomes among man and woman in both developed and developing society. Today, the greatest aspiration of mankind should be the creation of a civilization in which utmost respect is paid to the human beings themselves. This goal can only be achieved by developing knowledge base and its practices through inter-disciplinary approaches and interventions.

References

• M. G. Quibria, Rural Poverty in Asia, Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Francine D Blau, Marianne A Ferber, Anne E Winkler, The Economics of Women, Men, and Work, Pearson Education, 2009.
• Joyce Jacobsen, The Economics of Gender, Blackwell Publishing, 2007

The course primarily deals on the characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution and other vital statistics like birth and death rate, infant mortality rate, fertility rate, life expectancy and other related rates and ratios. It also discusses the understanding of the impact of demography on the social, economic and ecological problems. The sources of data and information through census, survey, studies and other tools, and how these data and information are being utilized for purposes of planning, program development, policy and decision making and other important uses for management and development interventions.

References

• E. A. Wrigley, Industrial Growth and Population Change, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

The course is designed to help students summarize and make oral presentations on public policy issues of interest in economics, find and utilize useful economics resources available over the Internet, the AIUB library, and different journals on economic issues. The topics to be covered in the course include the current economic issues like inflation, unemployment, population, rural urban migration, employment in the garment sector, the role of overseas remittance in the national economy, corruption and its impact in the economy, global and regional trade, foreign aid and development, the nature of human capital formation and poverty. The success and failures of government policies in alleviating poverty and hunger, rural landlessness and indebtedness, rural women and their roles in economic development of Bangladesh are also given consideration in the course.

An experience based course in which students are placed in appropriate businesses or agencies where previous classroom learning may be integrated with work in their major discipline. The exact location, program and method of education are provided in a contract drawn between the student, the department faculty internship coordinator and the host internship supervisor. Departmental approval is required prior to registration for this course.